Change In Law May Spur Campus Action On Sexual Assaults

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi discusses the Violence Against Women Act on Capitol Hill on Thursday. The House passed the measure, which could help curb violence on campus.

Jacquelyn Martin
/ AP

Originally published on February 28, 2013 9:41 pm

Most cases of sexual assault or harassment on school campuses don't attract national attention.

But a few do. There was the backlash over Notre Dame's response to the suicide of a 19-year-old a few days after telling campus police she had been sexually assaulted. And there was a video of blindfolded fraternity pledges outside Yale University's Women's Center that was cited in the settlement of a complaint that the university had failed to eliminate sexual discrimination on campus as required by federal law.

"What's always unfortunate, though ... is the reaction comes after," says Lisa Maatz, director of public policy for the American Association of University Women.

Her organization and others have pushed for better training and prevention efforts on university campuses, along with more reliable follow-up to reports of problems.

On Thursday, these advocates were heartened by the House of Representatives' reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which addresses many of their concerns.

The problems on campuses are widespread. A federally funded survey published in 2007 found that nearly 1 in 5 women in college experienced a completed or attempted sexual assault.

A joint investigation by NPR and the Center for Public Integrity in 2010 found campus responses to reports of assault wanting, discouraging women from filing complaints or following up on them.